‘I’m very proud of Shahid as a father and as a co-star; he’s an actor of his own caliber’: Pankaj Kapur

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The thespian is set to take us to Lucknow with his self-written play Dopehri (2019), a tantalising work whose title symbolises that part of the day which permits and nurtures loneliness. Stowed uneasily between frenetic mornings and tumultuous nights, afternoons could be excruciatingly intolerable for those who have no one to spend them with.

In this context, Kapur makes the sufferings of those women palpable who selflessly gave up everything so that we could live a comfortable life, only to never turn back to them when they need us the most. The story is presented from the perspective of Amma Bi, a 65-year-old widow, who — much like her haveli — is proud and lonely.

“I think we all have an Amma Bi in our lives. All of us have grandmothers and grandfathers, so It’s very easily relatable as far as the character of Amma Bi is concerned. We also have a Jumman (Amma Bi’s help) in our lives. Somebody who provides humour in our lives, somebody who had been around for many years. In Dopehri, I suppose there’s nothing new. It’s just a way of presenting it and the inter-relationship that one has been able to dig out in terms of people, their interdependence, their idiosyncrasies, them being victims of their own past, their own present, etc,” the actor says.

Kapur, a recipient of three National Film Awards, epitomised the zeitgeist of the parallel cinema movement with films like Ek Doctor ki Maut, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, and Mandi, among others, and became a household name with serials like Karamchand, Office Office, Zabaan Sambhalke, etc. With a career spanning over four decades, the actor continues to work, embracing a sense of wonder and philosophical reflection on the way his journey has unfolded.

‘“No, I never envisioned it like this. That’s why, I’m utterly grateful to God for what he has given. I mean, as a young boy, from where I started off, you would have no clue about what my background was, where I am from, and the kind of mohalla and atmosphere where I lived. However, I was lucky to have a father who always motivated me and was the greatest influence on me, and even my mother who was my first teacher as an actor. So I was fortunate to have parents who allowed me, indulged me, and let me do what I wanted to do,” he shares.

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Regarded as one of the greatest actors of Hindi cinema, Kapur’s acting prowess mesmerises us, whether it’s his character in Raakh, Maqbool, or The Blue Umbrelaa among many others. But how does he do it? Ask him, and he humbly likens himself to an amateur, continuously learning the craft, one day at a time.

“I’m still in the process of learning, every day, every moment. I’ve come till here but there is still a long way to go. When a script comes, as an actor, I approach it like I approach a fresh day. I try to look at what the director and writer are wanting from me in that script in terms of the character. And I try and dig whatever is written in the script, not anything from the outside of the script. The deeper I dig, the more I’ll be able to have information that can be helpful in creating the human being that I’m trying to create. Both theatre and cinema are mediums that challenge you to learn afresh on a moment-to-moment basis to address the needs and requirements of the given moment,” the 69-year-old says.

Even though he has donned the writer’s hat, acting remains the medium that truly satiates his creative self. “Acting is my first love. I’m also passionate about writing and direction. But in terms of creating different people, in terms of unfolding their lives in front of my audiences and camera, that forms a very intrinsic part of my being as an actor. And that passion has stayed with God’s grace, which is what is still making me work as keenly as I ever was, as an actor,” Kapur adds.

Kapur has a family full of actors, including his wife (Supriya Pathak Kapur), and children (Sanah Kapoor, Ruhan Kapoor, and Shahid Kapoor), but he admits that “we are like a normal family,” and the conversations in their house “rarely involve acting.” Instead, they revolve around topics like food, holidays, general situations in the country, and each other’s lives and relationships.

The actor also takes a moment to reflect on how “proud” he is — as a father and as a co-actor — to see the “commendable” work his son, Shahid, is doing.

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“I might have done a week’s workshop many years back with Shahid but he’s an actor of his own caliber. He’s a very talented, forthright, honest, and hardworking young man. I had said 15 years back, that his strength lies in dramatic roles, which I think the producers and directors have heard now after almost 10 years. And lately, the kind of work that he has done, in the last 7-8 years is hugely commendable. He’s proving his mettle as an actor, time and again. I’m very proud as a father and as a co-actor,” he says.

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